There's a reason it's called PRIMARY education

[Don1]

.... where less than 50% of "graduates" are functionally literate and even less are numerate.
Yet some are still yappin about "sports" negatively affecting education

Unnu fi get real

Education In Independence

Quality and performance have been critical issues in education in Independence. The failure of the primary school to deliver universal literacy led to the creation of the Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL). JAMAL, intended to be a short-term fix, substantially reduced adult literacy but ran for more than 25 years under that name before its transformation into a broader adult-education programme. The primary school kept pumping out illiterates who, with open access, went into and through the secondary-school system, pulling down the performance of the non-traditional schools.

A grievous historical wrong

Not even 46 years after political independence have we been able to teach the majority of our primary school children to read, or educate our citizens properly. And as the system of preferences around our sheltered plantation agriculture falls apart, we can now see the foolishness of the way we have structured our economy and labour force until now. I refuse to blame slavery and our colonial past for where we are today. It is our various JLP and PNP governments and their financial backers which have squandered the opportunities which independence offered and which got us into this mess.

[Islandman]

An education system has been created which functions well to protect the supply of cheap unskilled agricultural labour

Maybe this was the case in the 1950s and 60s....today it protects the supply of cheap unskilled shottas

In fact I believe GSAT is more selective than Common Entrance ever was. Today if you parents nuh have money fe pay for extra GSAT tuition for months and months, no "good school" fe you unless you is a brainiac. Which poor parent can afford dat?

[Don1]

Maybe this was the case in the 1950s and 60s....today it protects the supply of cheap unskilled shottas

In fact I believe GSAT is more selective than Common Entrance ever was. Today if you parents nuh have money fe pay for extra GSAT tuition for months and months, no "good school" fe you unless you is a brainiac. Which poor parent can afford dat?

the primary education shitstem is an abomination... but it has no real advocates

the education advocates and internet pundits are mostly concerned about the relative performance of so called traditional high schools

[Karl]

Bang on!
The entire system is designed to and for failure!
...and the results bear that out!

The reality is from top to bottom it is filled with 'marrers'!

*Mar - VERB
To damage or spoil; to disfigure or scar; to impair

TALENT ABOUNDS! ...but if 'marred' how can we expect a fulfillment of potential? ...how under the thumb of 'marrers' we can have the temerity to claim (as does Lazie and others) that we have no talent and ascribe to selves lack of talent?

marrers = Yuh kno been tinkin dat maybe heven wan person may tink dere is such a wud? As far as I know dere his no such wud.

Don1: You hit PRIMARY education but trust me it is our entire system that 'hug hup' failure. Early Childhood Education (God Bless DRB Grant for his efforts), PRIMARY, SECONDARY... The Ministry of Education...

The results...year after succeeding year bears that out! Having an ABUNDANCE of TALENTED youngsters is one part of the equation, the other part is the nurturing and development of talented youngsters.

[Peter R]

I'm sure you know this but putting it out there again:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innova...e=es_ES&page=1

[Don1]

Excellent series..yes I'm familiar

Confirms that grades 1-9 are critical

[Tilla]

Kind of long, but I will read the entire thing later when I have the time.

“Children from wealthy families with lots of education can be taught by stupid teachers,” Louhivuori said, smiling. “We try to catch the weak students. It’s deep in our thinking.”

I found this piece interesting. Unlike our system which focuses on finding the strongest students and getting them in these exclusive high schools where they learn together. The weak are then grouped together and most likely left to be taught by bad teachers. A recipe for disaster if you ask me.


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innova...qpFr12bsGGs.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

[Karl]

Kind of long, but I will read the entire thing later when I have the time.

I found this piece interesting. Unlike our system which focuses on finding the strongest students and getting them in these exclusive high schools where they learn together. The weak are then grouped together and most likely left to be taught by bad teachers. A recipe for disaster if you ask me.


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innova...qpFr12bsGGs.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

Hey the guy said it with a smile!
...but his cajoling of his audience to wander down the path of understanding the unstated import of his words is bang on. You Sir Tilla, is correct we in JA have a system that too often/most often ignores the kids who do not easily understand what most in the class picks up (Very, very important to understand that it is not that those needing that 'other teaching approach' are 'slower' than those who picked up as the teacher first presented the subject matter...just that at times they need that 'other' method of presenting the subject matter=alternate teaching method).

[Willi]

Unless U can fiore bad teachers, nutten naaah change.

JTA is power drunk.

[Willi]

On point.

First off some of the teachers cant read or write properly, yet they have serfitickits. I am not asking, i am telling. We are in a deeeep hole.

[Karl]

Unless U can fiore bad teachers, nutten naaah change.

JTA is power drunk.

Teachers of any particular subject should be able to, with repetition and continuing education...poor teachers...must be able to become excellent teachers? Why not? ...the ability to learn does not go dead...does it?

There must be instituted a system to 'grow' brilliant teachers. The individual may come to the classroom or to administration like a newly licensed driver of an automobile. One with a license to drive/teach but one that must learn to become a good driver/good teacher... Right?

It is at this early licensed stage that attitude must be 'checked' and a 'pass' or 'goodbye' given. Of course as the teacher goes on reviews knowledge (subject knowledge), teaching-"Methods" and exams on accountability must be 'order of the day'!!!